mother earth is a bitch and she will kill you

“Where Are My Car Keys!!!?”

Not something you want to hear yourself say at a remote trail head.

“Be careful how you live…Don’t act thoughtlessly.” from Paul, early missionary for Jesus Christ, Letter to the Early Christians in the First Churches

     Reflect.  Think about a moment when immediately you are aware that you have seriously screwed up!  You realize a decision you made, or failed to make, has now come back to impact you with all the painful and annoying consequences that it brings.  The “what if” and “how stupid can I be” cycle begins.

     An important life lesson has just been learned, hopefully.  Take a deep breath.  Ask God to quiet your soul and allow her Spirit to give you calm and clear thinking.  Let God help you respond and not react.  After you have dealt with the immediate situation, reflect on what can help prevent or mitigate this scenario in the future.  Debrief.

     Real life.  In the wilderness simple actions, seemingly inconsequential decisions or choices, can indeed lead to a profound impact on you and others.  During the winter months I would teach a backpacking course for students at California Baptist University.  Some years I taught the class at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California, east of San Diego.  The park is the second largest state park in the United States covering 600,000 acres of desert, mountains, and valleys.  One great feature of the park are natural water oases.  These springs of life support beautiful native California palms, desert bighorn sheep, and thirsty backpackers.  It is a beautiful natural environment with great contrasts in color, texture, and life forms. 

     Backpacking tip.  When you are leaving the trailhead there is a simple task you need to make sure happens before you leave your car.  Place your car keys in a secure place in your backpack.  Attached the keys to an internal clip, in a zippered pocket, or in the bottom of a small pocket that you will not be accessing much during your trip.  Always make sure your keys are where they should be every time you leave a backcountry camp.  It would suck big time if you have to hike back to search for your keys.  In addition to this, always tell a friend and show them where you have stored your keys.  If you become incapacitated-unresponsive, they will need to know where your keys are at. 

     A trail story.  Teaching one of my backpacking classes at Anza-Borrego, I instructed my students to place their car keys in a secure place.  For some reason, one of the students decided to place her keys in one of the small paper bags that I had provided each student for trash.  At our backcountry designated campsite there was a metal fire ring.  At night we would burn our environmentally safe trash in the fire pit so we did not have to carry it out.  Do you get where this is leading? 

     We arrive back at our trailhead and our cars to end the backpacking course.  It is very isolated parking area at the end of a very long and bumpy dirt road.  Cell phone service was not yet available and we were miles from the nearest pay phone.  The students begin to unload their backpacks and gear my program has provided them.  I begin loading the gear into my vehicle.  At this point I hear a student exclaim in the desert dusk, “Where are my car keys!?”   After searching her pack and carefully looking over all the ground around us, the keys are not here.  We determined she probably threw her car keys in the paper bag, along with some trash, into the fire pit miles and miles back at our campsite.  A few other students had rode up with her and she was their ride back.   The other students, with keys for their cars, drove back to civilization and called Triple A to come provide a new key for her car.  We waited in the dark desert night for a few hours. Thankfully, we had enough water and warm clothing to wait in the desert darkness.  I can’t remember exactly, but I’m sure we enjoyed the extra time together talking and enjoying the quiet of the desert.  I had a nine hour drive back to Yosemite, but now I planned to find a motel.

     In the big picture of life, this was really a minor inconvenience.  However, what if this student was the only one at the trailhead, with no other cars available.  It would have been a very long and tiring walk for miles to get to a road with some traffic to wave someone down for assistance.  If there had been a medical emergency, it could have been a dangerous life threatening moment.  In this instance, this student’s failure to think and act responsibly by properly storing her car keys inconvenienced others and cost her financially.

     At times our lives are impacted by external forces and choices made by others that we have no control over.  These can be natural events, hence “Mother Earth is a bitch” and there are harmful and evil people in the world.  When the hurricane does come ashore or the “big one” shakes our city, do we have emergency supplies?  Do we have a plan and network to help others and find support as well?  Concerning personal relationships, have you ever had a boss from hell or a family member that continually makes harmful decisions?  What can you do?  We can choose how we are prepared to mitigate and address these negative forces beyond our control. 

     There are, of course, life moments when our situation is the result of our own doing.  Have you avoided a trip ending blister on the trail, focusing on the beauty of God around you, because you took the time to break in your boots before you hit the trail?  Did you wind up shivering in a cold rain underneath a tree because you failed to bring rain gear on a hike because that morning there wasn’t a cloud in the sky?

      There are many factors that form the construct from which we make a decision or develop the principles that guide our practices and choices in life.  What has influenced and currently guides your choices? 

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”  Quote, Letter from Paul to the churches.

     God desires for you to make choices that are positive and beneficial for you.  God promises to help you in your responsibilities and actions that have an effect on the lives of others.  That does not mean those choices will lead to a life without struggle.  On the contrary, God requires of us discipline, commitment, sacrifice, and courage as we face the everyday life challenges that come our way. 

     The simple daily actions and habits you and I live out provide a visible actuation of our principles and priorities in life.  Our seemingly routine daily choices have a profound impact in our life and the life of others.  What are some daily life choices for you?  Some that might resonate with you are: 

•         Did you choose to pray with your spouse and/or kids tonight? 
•      When you saw that cute girl or guy walking down the street, did you redirect your eyes forward? 
•      Were your words towards your loved one today affirming? 
•      How did you deal with your difficult co-worker today? 
•      Did you take the time to write a note of thanks or encouragement to a co-worker or friend?
•      Have you paused and allowed God’s Spirit to lead and guide you. 
•      Where are you on modeling and teaching your child to be a polite, caring, and responsible adult?
•      Have you followed through on praying for and caring for your neighbor? 

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.   

Make the most of every opportunity… 

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Quote, Letter from Paul to the churches.

Your daily choices in allowing the Spirit of God in your life will lead to the goodness of God in your life and in the lives of others now and in the coming days, months and years.

“Hey, here are my keys!”